Saturday, December 1, 2012

This week here at Do Some Damage, we’re
participating in a meme about What’s Next. Today, being Saturday, it’s my turn.
While I have a really good idea of my story and all the players, I haven’t
given much thought to the answers to these questions. Mainly, I think, because
I’m not finished with it. And, while I think I know where it’s going—planner
that I am—you never know if it might take a turn that I didn’t foresee.

What is the working title of your next
book?

I don’t have one. In Scrivener, it’s “Mrs. Keene.”

Where did the idea come from?

My mother. She claims not to remember telling me the
inkling of the idea, but she did. So, if this thing gets published, you know
who gets the dedication. One afternoon, she mentioned how much fun it would be
to have an amateur PI, an older woman, who gets a bionic eye. Now, I know she
was thinking Murder, She Wrote with a Bionic Eye or the Six Million Dollar Miss
Marple, but I’ve changed it some. I’ve youthed up the main character, Mrs.
Helen Keene, to be, in her words, “a woman of a certain age.” Well, that’s what
she told me when I asked her how old she was. She added, “Young enough to be
your mother but not old enough to be your grandmother.” Point taken.

Hang on a second. Mrs. Keene is nudging me. I think
she wants to speak.

“I was trying to tell Mr. Parker here about the
story, but he wasn’t listening properly, so let me tell it. One of the fun
questions people sometimes ask each other is ‘If you could have any superpower,
what would it be?’ Flying almost always wins. Probably from the folks who can
never seem to get to work on time. Invisibility is another popular one—and I
think we all know why…. Bionic eye never seems to be in the Top 10. It wasn’t
for me, to be sure, but I ended up with one anyway.

Now, you might think that having a bionic eye would
be fun, especially for a woman of my years. And, no, I’m still not going to
tell you how old I am so stop asking. You might also think that being a
part-time private investigator and being able to see things far away might come
in handy. Yes, it does, and I can certainly see further than I ever could.
Eventually, I learned how to toggle the night vision—and not a moment too soon.
Having a bionic eye is, all things considered, pretty nifty.

The only problem was that some pretty bad people
wanted the eye that was in my head. And they were willing to do anything to get
it, too…”

Me: Well, there you go.

What genre does your book fall under?

Mystery. In my head, it’s a classic mystery that
could land on network television and, if the mapping holds, will have some
exciting bits as well.

Mrs. Keene: Exciting bits? You call what happened to
me ‘exciting’? What about the time that guy…

Since the story came from my mom, I know she had a
certain type of character in mind. I’ve altered it slightly. Mrs. Keene,
widowed and divorced (he cheated on her and he was caught, um, with his pants
down) is the main character. She’s a woman who has latched onto a part-time
investigating gig with a local PI firm as a way of finding some direction in her
life. I’ve had strong, confident, beautiful women in mind, something along the
lines of Christine Baranski or Jean Smart, maybe even Candace Bergen from Boston
Legal.

[Mrs. Keene smiles at me, beaming.]

Other than her, I haven’t given many of the other
characters a “face.” The PI firm is owned by a younger man, Peter Angel, who is
a bit brainy, casually granola in his dress, and prefers to help people that
need helping even if it doesn’t always pay well. He and Keene tend to bicker
sometimes about proper procedure and expenditures. If I had to put an actor to
it (which I haven’t yet but am doing do now), I’m thinking Zach Braff in Garden
State or Jason Schwartzman in Rushmore.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of
your book?
When Mrs. Helen Keene, part-time private investigator, inadvertently finds
herself implanted with a bionic eye, she can see a whole lot of things more
clearly, including the men who want the eye back, and are willing to murder to
get it.

Will your book be self-published or
represented by an agency?
We’ll see. Would like to go the agency route.

How long did it take you to write the
first draft?
NaNoWriMo kicked this thing in to high gear. My aim is to complete it by New
Year’s Eve so that I can fulfill my one and only 2012 resolution.

What other books would you compare this
story to within your genre?
I am a huge fan of Castle and like the dynamic between the two leads. The
relationship between Kathy Bates and Nate Corddry from Harry’s Law is also part
of the mix. The interplay between my characters (Keene and Peter Angel) keep
reminding me of Cool and Lam. Even though I’ve planned it out, I’m seeing how
it ends up before I make any more comparisons.

Who or what inspired you to write this
book?
My mom gave me the idea, but I changed it to my liking.

What else about the book might pique the
reader's interest?
I’m hopeful that the humorous parts are funny, the thrilling parts thrilling,
and the mystery interesting enough. I’ve enjoyed coming up with it, and I’m
hopeful that it might be unique enough to earn some readers.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Yeah, we’re all being lazy this week. But since I was tagged ages ago by the awesome Zoe Venditozzi and have now been retagged again in the DSD next big thing week, I figured I might as well finally answer these questions and become part of an internet meme.

It seems most people I would tag or who I would expect to respond have done so. But I invite you, freely, to take this meme and run with it. With my blessings.

So without further ado, here’s a little bit that also serves as the public airing for the potential title of the next McNee novel (release date currently uncertain so hold yer horses):

• What is the working title of your next book?Mothers of the Disappeared

(the title was given to me by the awesome Canadian author Sandra Ruttan a few years back, although the proposed book was utterly different in form then but now the title fits better)

• Where did the idea come from for the book?Probably the ideas shop. Ha!

No, each McNee book furthers a background story while dealing with its own central crime. In this case, I was intrigued by the idea that an apparent victim of a crime would eventually come to believe the person arrested and charged with committing it may in fact be innocent. It’s a pretty horrific crime, and the whole moral quandary that erupts felt perfect for throwing in McNee’s path as he’s dealing with some fallout from the last few books.

• What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?Ones who show up in front of the camera and remember their lines.

I still maintain that in an ideal world the recurring villain of the McNee novels would be played by Dundee’s own brilliant Brian Cox. The rest of the cast is up for grabs, though, especially McNee.

• What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?Bad shit happens, some of it to good people.(I really can’t give away much of the plot just now - - I can’t until its in a readable form and in front of my agent and publisher’s eyes, but trust me its there and its beautifully brutal)

• Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?I’m pretty traditional about my novels. Why? I like working with authors. Despite egomaniac ideals to the contrary, no book is actually written by one person. You need those other professional eyes on it, too.

• How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?Three months. But then, writing is easy: rewriting’s where things get tricky. And long.

• What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?Good ones, I hope.

I guess if you dig PI novels by guys like Ross MacDonald, Lawrence Block and George Pelecanos, but wish they wrote about Scotland, you might get a kick out of what I’m trying to do (but they’re all so much better at it than I am, except for the Scottish stuff).

• Who or what inspired you to write this book?The promise of an advance. Even if it is a small one.

That and I love writing. Adore the process. If I hadn’t done this one, I’d have done something else.

• What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?There’s some good old fashioned violence and swearing in there, alongside some real painful emotional stuff. And since it’s the fourth act of five in an on-going story, reader’s who’ve been along with ride since THE GOOD SON should hopefully be put through the ringer. In a good way.

Oh, and if you do read this (or any of my books) you will get a warm fuzzy feeling inside from knowing that I get to eat another meal thanks to you. And doesn’t that warm your cockles and pique your interest?

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Why, thank you for asking. I assume, of course, you're asking me about RUNAWAY TOWN, which is due from Thomas & Mercer on March 26th? Well, it's working title was, "this second book needs a title." But then I listened to a Replacements song, as I do whenever I'm stuck, and it all came together.

2) Where did the idea come from?

I've still got four months to think of all the really good lies, so for now I'll say it came from the need for the Miller trilogy to have a second act, and because of a mix of social issues I wanted to write about and crime fiction habits that bugged me.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

It's crime. It's also a mystery, and a modern urban tale. Interestingly though, I wrote this before I found out what everyone else already knew -that Pluto was no longer a planet- so this book is set in a solar system with nine planets. So it's also science fiction.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters ina movie rendition?

What, you want me to read the book to you, too? No, sorry, I expect my readers to do some of the work themselves. Pick your own cast.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Gangland Detective Eoin Miller has been keeping out of the game, working on recovering from a knife attack and avoiding his addictions, but he gets pulled back in by an explosive new case.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Can agented authors not self pub? Sorry. Being a dick comes so naturally to me. The book is proudly represented by Stacia Decker and the Donald Maass Literary Agency, and published by Thomas & Mercer. I may have put the 'proudly' bit in myself.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

Seven or Eight months.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Kindly reviewers have compared my previous Miller book to Lawrence Block and George Pelecanos. But I think I should leave comparisons to other people, because I only have my own book in mind when I'm writing. I will say it's both similar too, and a departure from, Old Gold.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

That's one of those things I've not got a good enough answer for yet.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

Howsabout the longer pitch; Still recovering from the physical and mental scars of Old Gold, gangland detective Eoin Miller has been staying out of the game. When local crime boss Veronica Gaines comes to him with a new case, talking of a rapist targeting the vulnerable immigrant community, Miller's Romani blood won't say 'no'. Miller's attempts to find the attacker lead him into a moral maze of betrayal, corruption, racism and revenge. Is there a difference between punishment and justice? Who decides? When figures from his past step back into his life, with questions of loyalty and family ties, he has to fight to keep his life from falling apart under the weight of his obligations.

Or I could tease you with the fact that I've just written the final chapter of the Miller trilogy. I know how it ends and you don't, nananananana.

My psychiatrists suggested this as a form of constructive therapy. They've proven to be right on pretty much everything except the apology letter to that nice author I seem to have accidentally offended a few months ago with a blog post. Other than that, they're batting a thousand.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Your question amuses me, but I am far too cool for labels. Pestering authors about the "genre" of a novel is so gauche.

3) b) But you're just a writer, not an author.

Sod off.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

The lead is a handsome ginger in his early 30s, so maybe Robert Redford from 60 years ago. Or maybe that guy who was in Hitchhiker's Guide and The Office. I like him, but I don't think he's a ginger. Also, I do not know much about movies, but people keep talking about the Cohen brothers. I don't know what they've acted in, but maybe one of them. They seem popular.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

After a lapse in judgment nearly cost him his marketing career, Alex Jackson returns to Shreveport to help resurrect a dying strip club, prevent a political disaster that could destroy his company, and convince his high school crush that he's now boyfriend material, all while avoiding the help of his mother, who just wants "what's best" for him.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Whatever the agent says.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

Ask me when I'm done. I got a boost from NaNoWriMo, but it's gonna be a while yet.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

It's like Fletch meets The Gold Bug Variations, with some of the lighter parts of Cormac McCarthy's The Road thrown in.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Please refer to my answer to Question The Second. Also, the stubborn refusal of my insurance company to continue its coverage of pharmaceutical options.

So there's this NEXT BIG THING meme going around in which authors tag each other (heh) with ten questions. Since Dave White is out today and my answers are set for tomorrow, I figured I'd answer for Dave today. You're welcome, big fella.

1) What is the working title of your next book?

RUTGERS IPA, PI

2) Where did the idea come from?

I was emailing with Sarah Weinman and Jason Pinter one night and we decided it would be neat.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Mystery/Thriller/College Romance/Craft Beer/Noir

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I picture a young James Gandolfini (Rutgers, 83) for the lead and Calista Flockhart (Rutgers, 88) as the love interest.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When an assistant basketball coach discovers a new recipe for India Pale Ale worth killing for, his life turns into one big fast break of terror.

Whether it's independently published or one of the major offerings from a big house, I hope people enjoy reading it.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

Well, I've been thinking about some of the aspects of the novel for a long time. The actual sitting down and writing has been about a year so far.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

It's a bit like a Spenser novel. One of the good ones.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

To be honest, it was DSD's own Steve Weddle. Hearing him go on and on about writing is kind of like seeing an eighth grader try to dunk a basketball. At some point, you just want to show the kid how it's done.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

I've created Twitter accounts for all the characters and the last page of the novel will be a recipe for the craft beer featured in the story.

Monday, November 26, 2012

The Do Some Damage crew was asked to consider participating in a meme that's floating around where authors answer ten questions about the project that they're working on. I believe that some of the other DSD'ers are going to participate during the week. Since I'm the only non-writer of the group I asked some of the Snubnose Press authors to answer the questions. Below are their answers.

The collected anecdotes of a friend of mine who survived a few crazy years working in a kitchen in a ridiculously, comically corrupt river town.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Crime? Sure, but not really a thriller. Coming of age? Okay, but don’t expect to take away many valuable lessons. Drug Novel? Maybe. But without all the boring-ass cleaning-up or blacking-out bits.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in the movie rendition?

The ones that like getting naked a lot.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

This book could’ve been titled Hunter S. Thompson’s Kitchen Confidential, but that’s not the vibe I’m shooting for.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It won’t be self-published. I’m not represented by an agency. Dear agency, would you like to represent me?

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

Kiss my ass.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Hmmmm… Ask the Dust meets Trainspotting by way of The Andy Griffith Show? Now and On Earth thumbs a ride through a Controlled Burn On the Road? The Wanderers join Sailor & Lula for a swim through The Shark-Infested Custard? Katja From the Punk Band decided that You Can’t Win when she tried to Steal This Book and reaped The Ice Harvest?

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My buddy. In fact, we’re collaborating. He just had an amazing collection of true stories that were begging to be strung together and teased into a novel.

Frustration? It just seemed like it had been a long time since I had had a good, novel-length idea, so I sat in a chair, goddammit, until I had one.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Crime & suspense & noir.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Billy Bob Thornton would be the title character, Meryl Streep for Lamar Tilden's wife Mary Leigh, Clint Eastwood would be Lamar's father, Phillip Seymour Hoffman would be Holt Marsh, Sean Penn would be the priest, and then, you know, since I'm dreaming, I'd give a bunch of unknowns their first shot at being the minor characters. I like unknowns, being one myself.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Someone else has always run farmer Lamar Tilden's life, but when Holt Marsh jibes him a bit too far inside a grain bin, Lamar buries him in corn. Now he has three days to set a lifetime of cheek-turning to rights before the trucks empty the bin, Holt's body clumps to the bottom, and a cell slams shut on Lamar forever.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

An agency, I hope. Seeking representation as we speak.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

It's not done yet, but I'm aiming for an even three months.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I came up with the idea while reading Mystic River by Dennis Lehane and The 25th Hour by David Benioff, so those books will have their artful fingerprints all over The Three Days and Nights of Lamar Tilden. In its final form, I'll also be proud if the book bears some resemblance to Nate Flexer's criminally under-appreciated The Disassembled Man and also Les Edgerton's The Bitch, both wonderful noir portraits of villainous minds in fierce decline. If I get really lucky, there will also be shades of Frank Bill's Crimes in Southern Indiana and everything by Daniel Woodrell.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

What if you committed the ultimate crime and didn't run? What if you stayed to face down a lifetime of meekness? And what if you had three days to do it? Wyobraska farmer Lamar Tilden is about to find out.

Panowich did an interview with a horror website where he said he's like to see John Wayne take on the zombie apocalypse. That got me thinking and I Facebook'ed him about writing that story and I'd write one and we'd bundle them together like a split record the old punk and hardcore bands used to do. He wound up writing another thing entirely but the project is up, getting ready to launch.

Panowich says - Ryan Sayles called me up one day with the idea of doing a flip book in the vein of the old '90s IMAGE comics, where a story was featured on both sides of the book. Read one, flip it over to read the other one. The comic book nerd in me loved the idea, and any reason to ride Ryan's coattails worked for me. We thought Zombies would be a good place to start.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Noir and horror. Panowich's story is about a good man trying to keep his friends and family alive during the opening minutes of the apocalypse and mine is about a douche bag who has learned how to capitalize on running a harem of zombies until hippies show up. And as usual, hippies bring carnage and mayhem.

Panowich says - Warped Necro Erotica. Or maybe Self Help.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Eric Roberts would be my lead. All the way. A much fatter, greasier version of Doug Hutchinson (Percy Wetmore from The Green Mile) would be the john named Angelou, and then two smelly hippies would be the hippies.

Panowich says - My half of the book is called My Wife Dawn...And The Dead and I think I should be self-cast in every part. Like a skinny tattooed Nutty Professor but badass. Of course Sayles would be cast as My Wife Dawn.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Two of the greatest noir writers the world has ever seen take on a much-ignored topic: zombies.

Panowich says - Come On Do The Apocalypse: The new greatest story ever told.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self. We just want it out there.

Panowich says - We're playing that one close to the chest, but I'll give you this. Two words. Bidding. War.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

A week. Each of our stories is about 15K words. It took each of us about a week for the draft.

Panowich says - Over breakfast, the morning of the deadline.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Well... none really. They fall squarely into the zombie genre. Panowich's is fairly close-quartered--inside a house--and mine takes place on a farm. The scale for these isn't too grand, but this is something he and I are going to keep doing and the next ones will be bigger in scope from what it sounds like.

Panowich says - That's a ridiculous question. Clearly this is groundbreaking stuff. No comparisons can be made.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I know I enjoy the mindless horror aspect of zombies. They're everywhere nowadays. And I love writing slaughterfest-type things. So for me, after reading Panowich's horror interview I immediately started thinking about it. Then I couldn't think of anything else. I have a fairy-tale/zombie story up at Amazon called "Straw House, Stick House, Brick House, Slaughter House" where a fairy makes her living cleaning up zombie infestations and gets hired to protect the three little pigs from the Big Bad Wolf. The BBW has decided his final solution to getting the pigs is sell his soul for the power to command a zombie horde. So there's that, which greased the wheels for me doing zombie stuff.

Panowich says - Like most things I write, my motivation was simply to impress Ryan. That and the fact that my wife Dawn deserves libraries full of books written about her. She's gorgeous, smart, funny as hell, and the only person I'd want next to me during a battle with hordes of the undead.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

We've created a single universe for all this to take place inside. It's the first volume of any number of stories we'll generate over the coming years. Panowich lined up a great artist to do the cover so all in all we've got a good package.

Panowich says - Not to give too much away, but your going to want to get in on this from the ground floor. Buy this book for a chance to say you knew us back in the day, before the movies, the TV spin-offs, the scandals, or the eventual prophesies. Put away your inhibitions, and Join me and my comrade Ryan down the path to enlightenment. Take your first step into our future, put your right foot in and Come on, Do The Apocalypse.

I was thinking about how modern technology could play into the age-old scenario of the hooker who blackmails the john

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Fiction or crime/fiction or thriller.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I don’t know. I’ve been asked this question before about other stuff of mine. I’m not the type to envision an actor as a character in my work. To me, it kind of locks the character into a box I’m not comfortable with. It’s a bit like watching an animated movie when you know who is doing the voices. When that happens, it’s tough to get Ray Romano’s face out of your head while you watch the wooly mammoth.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When two young hustlers, caught in an endless cycle of addiction and prostitution, decide to blackmail an elderly client of theirs, they find that their victim has already been targeted by a much more sinister force.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It’s been queried to a few agents. We’ll see how it goes. The first one said the characters were far too “unsavory”, which I took as a great compliment. I knew then I was definitely on to something.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

About four months at about three hours a day, four days a week (on a good week.) It eclipsed all my other writing. I love that time when your only focus is to push a story forward.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I have no idea. Isn’t that the point, to try to come up with something original? If there is something like it out there, the few people who have read the first draft couldn’t come up with any comparisons.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

When I down and out and living in the street, I saw the hustlers working up on Polk and Sutter in San Francisco and always wondered what drove them. What they did gave me the shutters. They were sickly and dangerous-looking, the epitome of sleaze. Damaged individuals living in a depraved world. Even in my state of eroded morals, they were gone, so much further down the path of no return. They were true nihilists, living for the next fix and waiting to die. I thought maybe there was a story there, something horrifying, yet realistic. It started out as an idea for a longer short, maybe a novella, but then it the story took over and it kept going.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

The tale is definitely not for everyone. When Joe Clifford read it, he said he had to take a shower afterword. It’s disturbing to say the least. But if you like your stories rough and sleazy and full of violence, then this one is for you.

And … you’ll never wear a lobster bib again without thinking of Hustle.

Craig Wallwork is the author of To Die Upon a Kiss, forthcoming from Snubnose Press.

1) What is the working title of your next book?

The Sound of Loneliness.

2) Where did the idea come from?

I had fallen on that old writer’s adage of “write about what you know”. The problem I found was I knew very little. The only reoccurring themes I could draw upon in my life was the fallacy of love and the pain of loneliness, both of which I had either witnessed growing up, or experienced firsthand. The second problem I encountered was that all the novels I had read at the time dealt with these issues by burying the suffering under subtext or metaphor. It appeared to me there was a lot of talk but no one was actually saying anything. Then, while holidaying in Greece one year, my wife found an old tatty paperback of John Fante’s Ask the Dust in a cafe. She read it and said I would like it because it was a novel with balls. I didn’t know anything about Fante, but in that book he taught me how to deliver raw emotion, to offer words that on paper were so brutalised you couldn’t help look upon them with sadness and empathy. Had it not been for authors like Fante and Knut Hamsun, the bones of an idea about a lonely man searching for love in a hostile town would have remained stripped of its flesh.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Underbelly fiction.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Adrien Brody in the lead of Daniel Crabtree because he looks emaciated and vulnerable, even though he is always in good health. My knowledge of English female actresses of around 15 years of age is limited, and I think that’s a good thing.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

“Amidst the clamour of life, the sound of loneliness is the most deafening of all.”

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

The book has been picked up by an independent press called Perfect Edge Books and will be released on January 25th 2013. They have an awesome list of authors attached to the label including Andrez Bergen, Caleb J Ross, Nik Korpon, Michael Gonzales, Amy Biddle, Christopher Dywer and Anthony David Jacques. We’re all very excited about its future.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

The first draft came quick. Probably around 6 months, which when you’re working a full time job and trying to withhold your grasp on sanity as well as being a dutiful husband, is a quick turnaround. But that first draft was essentially a pastiche of Fante and Hamsun, with elements of Bukowski thrown in. It was honest, but the narrative was too antiquated to sound believable. It got a few rejections based on this. I guess I was just exhausted with it and put it under the bed and wrote something else. It was almost three years before I looked at the manuscript again, and like the pain of being dumped by a lover who treated you unfairly but you were too blind to see it at the time, the distance allowed me to understand the error of my ways. Several revisions came after, and a few more during the editing phase. It is now a solid little novel that I’m hoping will stand the test of time.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

As mentioned before, Ask the Dust by John Fante and Knut Hamsun’s Hunger. Hating Olivia by Mark SaFranko and some of the novels by Dan Fante (John’s son) like Mooch, Chump Change and Spitting Off Tall Buildings influenced the rhythm and brought the “voice” of the narrator more into the 21st century.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My family, my hometown, the people I met while boozing in the pubs, poverty, the need for change, the shit on the streets, the blood in my mouth, pregnant clouds, pregnant teenagers, the stench of stale ale and the hunger in my stomach, all were seeds planted in the allotment of my mind and blossomed and took macabre forms that were eventually rendered out on the page. Writing this novel was more an exorcism than a biography.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

Regardless of what I’ve said, this is a very funny book. I wrote it very much like a person delivering an anecdote of a terrible incident: at the time, when living out the scenario, humour is far from your mind, but in retrospect, having lived through the experience, the details are delivered in a much more light-hearted manner. The Sound of Loneliness is essentially about a man who went through hell just to offer a joke to the world.

A true story a friend told me about the 1985 death of an undocumented worker in Los Angeles and the police officer who helped cover it up.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Crime/Thriller

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Edward James Olmos, Naya Rivera, John C. McGinley, and Paul Wesley

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A young woman seeks retribution for her mother’s murder and subsequent cover up with the help of a retired mob enforcer.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m not sure yet.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

I’m still writing (not enough time in the day).

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Bitter Fruit: A Novel by Achmatt Dangor

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles history inspired me to write this novel.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

The characters are rather brazen and its likely the most hard-boiled novel I’ve written to date.

Todd Morr is the author of Captain Cooker
1) What is the working title of your next book?

Jesus Saves, Satan Invests is nearly done, and I’m working on another Cooke novel with the working title Best Laid Plans of Idiots and F*ckups

2) Where did the idea come from?

I wish I knew so I could visit more often. I honestly do not remember when the first idea for either of these two stories began. As with anything I’ve ever done, it starts with the first chapter which was written with little or no idea what was going to happen next. Most ideas are found while running or driving my fairly long commute. Some of my best ideas have come on hot days when I decide to run eight miles but only have six in me.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Crime is a major part of both books and all the major characters are criminals in some sense, so crime makes sense. Snubnose Press called Captain Cooker noir-boiled, so I would go with that.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

For JSSI I always picture Linda Hamilton circa Terminator 2, eighties Michael Bien would have a role too, and I could even picture a character as pre-governor Arnold. Since this casting would require a time machine, Gina Carano might work, Angelina Jolie, a Demi Moore comeback vehicle, or Jennifer Lopez just because she was good as Karen Sisco in Out of Sight. Since I don’t have that time machine to pick up Escape from New York era Kurt Russell, I suppose Michael Madsen would work for Best laid Plans.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

JSSI - It started with a message on her answering machine; ‘Jesus saves Satan invests’ and Janet, living comfortably off the spoils of her ill-gotten gain as the centerpiece of a blackmail ring, did not need to know the caller was currently sharing trunk space with a fresh corpse to know it meant trouble.

Best Laid Plans - While in jail, thrill seeking, would be Robin Hood, and home invader Chase needs Cooke’s help to protect both his money and his sister.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I do not have an agent; ideally I will be working with Snubnose Press again.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

JSSI – about two months, this is fast for me. Of course, I wrote the first draft a while ago so subsequent drafts have taken longer. Best Laid Plans is still in progress, but the first chapter was written in January 2012.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

In Northern New England, Jay Porter encounters a mysterious hard drive, and is forced to confront his parents' death and estranged brother's addiction--delivering him to the dark heart of a small town's shocking secret.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I am going back into the agent pool for this one. I had an agent before but got frustrated by the process. I think this book is more commercially viable.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

Couple months. Hit a hot streak and rode it out. Although that first draft was primarily an outline (like most first drafts).

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I've been trying to write the story of my brother and me for years. I was just about done with the draft when I read Davidson's The Damage Done and its sequel, The Next One to Fall, which I felt gave me the...permission...to follow through with my vision. Both Davidson books are terrific, with real mainstream appeal, something I deeply admire and aspire toward.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

I work hard to be accessible. I think of the parts of books that bore me. And then try not to do that.

J.A. Kazimer is the author of Froggy Style, Shank, and the forthcoming Snubnose Press release, Dope Sick: A Love Story

1) What is the working title of your next book?

Unhappiest Place on Earth

2) Where did the idea come from?

My strong-dislike of Disneyland.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Romantic suspense

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Mila Kunis and David Austin Green

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When CIA assassin, Hannah Winslow, mistakenly kills the wrong target, she vows never to take another life, and leaves everything she loves behind to start a new life, a dull life complete with a fake identity, an overweight cat, and a new career bringing sexy back to the bottled water industry, but her former partner, Benjamin Miller has other plans for Hannah's retirement that includes multiple murders. (Yes, that is one heck of a long sentence).

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Agency

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

Working on it since September 2010. Just finished the first draft in October.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to write something different, in a different genre than I'm used to.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

Lots of sex scenes, plus I reveal the secret to immortality. Here's a hint, try not to die.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

NaNoWriMo is almost over.For those keeping score, by the end of today, those participating in
National Novel Writing Month are hoping to have almost 42,000 words done by the
end of today.When the month is over,
those who have been successful in their goal will have 50,000 words completed….depending
on whether this is a novella or a novel or if the project was started before
the month long challenge, you may or may not have completed a book.However, regardless of whether THE END is just
days away or a month or two off – CONGRATS!You’ve written a book.That’s an
awesome accomplishment.Every year I
hear people around me talk about sitting down to write a book.Very few ever accomplish that goal.So regardless of when THE END comes –
celebrate!You’ve earned it.

So, you’ve written a book.Now what?

Well, without knowing what you want out of your writing
career, I can only offer suggestions as to what not to do.

Here goes:

1)Do
not - Immediately start querying agents with the book you just completed.

Why?Well, in the first place, all writers need to
reread and edit their work.It doesn’t
matter how great you are at your craft, there will be plotlines to tighten,
character arcs to round out and sometimes whole scenes to scrap.Never submit something you haven’t taken the
time to polish.

Second, industry professionals get
thousands of submissions during the months of December and January from
NaNoWriMo writers who are so excited to finish writing that they start querying
before they’ve taken the time to polish their work.Because of this, most agents are going to
assume that a great number of the queries they receive aren’t for manuscripts
that have been carefully revised, but instead are from authors still celebrating
their THE END accomplishment.

Revise and then wait until February
until you submit so you don’t get lumped in with other writers who didn’t take
the time to polish.(You also don’t want
to get grouped with the writers who make a resolution to finally submit that
novel…which is why I suggest you wait until a month into the New Year.)

2)Do
not - Assume that your book is going to sell for big money and change your
life.

Trust me—most authors never quit
their day job.A lot of genre fiction
reaps advances of between $3,000-$10,000 a book.Not exactly retirement money.Make
sure your goals are not set so high that you will fail even if you
succeed.

3)Do
not - Immediately self-publish your book.

I think self-publishing is a
wonderful option for a great number of writers.It provides a platform for backlist books as well as for novelists who
have chosen for a variety of reasons to not traditionally publish.(ie: book is too unusual, couldn’t find the
right agent, the market is trending away from the topic so publishers aren’t
interested, etc…etc…etc…)However, while
self-publishing is a great avenue for authors, it is also a seductively
dangerous one.All you have to do is
format and upload to the publishing platforms and voila – you are
published!Immediate gratification after
all those days of typing away in front of your computer screen.

However, while the rush you feel
running around the house in your bunny slippers screaming “I’m published” is exhilarating,
the after effects of the decision to upload your book will resonate long after
that celebratory cheer has ended.If you
price your book correctly and market it well, people will buy it.They’ll read it.They’ll judge you—the writer—based on what
they read.Take care in making sure the
product is the best one you can produce.Edit.Proofread.Have someone else edit and proofread.Design a kick-butt cover – don’t just slap
anything on in order to make the process fast.Don’t cut corners.Trust me.You and your book deserve better.

4)Do
not - Wait for this book to sell before beginning your next project.

So many authors wait for that first
book to find a home before coming up with another novel idea.They work so hard to query and polish and
revise and resubmit that they never write the next story.Trust me when I say my first book wasn’t
good.NO ONE should ever read that
book.But writing it wasn’t a waste of
time because it taught me two important lessons.1) That I liked to write.2) That I could get to THE END.Those were quite possibly the two most
important lessons I learned in my professional writing career.So, if this is the first book you’ve written,
YAY!Revise, submit and move on.You’re next book will be better.The next one better still.Whether it is NaNoWriMo or whether it is the
month of July, writers write.End of
story.